Thumbs up, thumbs down: Judging Brevard's winners, losers in the news

Sen. Rubio wants practical immigration reform.

Thumbs down: To Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for threatening another standoff over the debt ceiling. This, despite a separate deadline of March for everyone to agree on spending cuts under the "fiscal cliff" deal. "The debt ceiling is an ineffective and potentially dangerous mechanism for enforcing fiscal discipline," Fitch Ratings warned Tuesday. "With no legal authorization ? the Treasury would be forced to immediately eliminate the deficit - a fiscal contraction twice as great as the recently avoided 'fiscal cliff' - by delaying payments on commitments as they fall due." Translation: An avoidable credit downgrade with more lost sales and retirement savings for the Space Coast.

Thumbs up: To U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, for revealing a plan for common-sense immigration reform. Legislation Rubio has crafted with a group of Senate Republicans and Democrats calls for more visas for high-tech workers, a crackdown on employers who hire undocumented workers and a difficult "path to citizenship" for today's illegal immigrants. That's hardly "amnesty."

Thumbs down: To state and federal environmental officials, who couldn't say when 3,500 containers of hazardous chemicals would be removed from a lot near neighborhoods off John Rodes Boulevard in West Melbourne. The containers, which are behind a chain-link and barbed-wire fence with "no trespassing" signs, were discovered about six months ago. Why the delay? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are considering letting the responsible parties determine which chemicals might be salvageable so they can sell them to offset cleanup costs, EPA coordinator Chris Russell said.

Thumbs up: To Cocoa Deputy Mayor Tyler Furbish and Police Chief Mark Klayman for pushing a city "surge" against crime. Furbish requested the Cocoa City Council unfreeze three unfilled police officer positions, which Klayman will use to form a new street crimes unit to focus on illegal drug sales, prostitution and panhandling. The council agreed, 4-1. "Public safety is job No. 1 as far as I'm concerned, and we can't be too safe," Furbish said.

Thumbs down: To new Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell for ruling out hometown Florida Gators great Tim Tebow as the team's next quarterback. Tebow would excite fans, generate weeks of TV highlights and radio arguments, and fill sections of empty teal seats at EverBank Field while the team rebuilds. Instead, Caldwell will follow the tired NFL recipe of signing a B-list pocket passer who will inevitably fall short of making the Jags relevant.

Thumbs up: To state Rep. Tom Goodson, R-Titusville, for votes on property insurance in 2012 that earned him the highest grade among the Brevard delegation - a B - from Policyholders of Florida. Goodson sided with consumers on insurance bills between 70 percent and 89 percent of the time, the group's scorecard shows. Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, earned a C for siding with consumers in 50 percent to 69 percent of votes. All other Brevard lawmakers earned Fs for supporting policyholders in less than 20 percent of votes.

Thumbs down: To cycling legend Lance Armstrong, who, after years of fierce denials, has reportedly admitted to Oprah Winfrey he used performance-enhancing drugs en route to seven straight Tour de France victories. After longtime loyal teammates owned up to doping, Armstrong blasted them publicly while raking in millions of dollars in endorsements. His decision to finally come clean, after being stripped of his Tour titles and being banned from cycling for life, comes too late.

Thumbs up: To Wal-Mart Stores, which announced plans to hire 100,000 veterans during the next five years. Starting on Memorial Day, the company will seek out veterans who have left active duty within the last 12 months. Most of the jobs will be in Wal-Mart stores or its Sam's Club locations, with some in the company's distribution centers. "Veterans have a record of performance under pressure," CEO Bill Simon said. "They're quick learners, and they're team players."